


I Hope in the End That We All Found Happiness

by OpticalCrown



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Gen, M/M, Secret Santa, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8979313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpticalCrown/pseuds/OpticalCrown
Summary: The team has managed to live through both the Galra invasion and the logistics of universal liberation, and are now settling down for the first, real Christmas party they've had in years.However, despite everything, something feels missing...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the lovely B gal!](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=the+lovely+B+gal%21).



> For the tumblr Voltron Secret Santa!  
> I wondered how the team would change over the years (for better or worse), and I tried to write it a bit into their characters, in the spirit of a nice, Christmas after-party.  
> I know there are few issues here and there, but I hope the recipient still likes it! TwT

The holidays are a special time, as far as Katie can remember. Good vibes, candles, lots of food, a big-ass tree in the middle of your house, and tons of presents.

Right now though, she's seriously considering canceling the holiday.

The alien-tech soldering iron she got for Hunk is stuck at customs because she forgot to go through that _other_ seller, the set of sharpening stones for Keith have only just shipped and will barely make it in time for today, Shiro's fancy new organizer is already here thank god, the necklace and earrings for Allura and her mom are stashed under the false bottom in her wardrobe, Matt's gloves and the chunk of aquamarine for his collection are behind her books, her dad's rare book is already wrapped, and she has no idea what to get Lance.

Okay, so maybe the situation isn't as dire as it seems.

“Katie! A little help here!”

She pores over the gifts a second time, while scattered over her desk are different scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon shoved under and over her equipment and projects. She wants to make sure the presents look perfect.

“Katie!”

Two years. That's how long it took _after_ defeating the Galra empire to sort out the logistical and political nightmares that rose up afterward. Two years of returning worlds and territories to their rightful owners. Two years of finally exposing corruption in the Garrison and using it to integrate Earth properly into inter-galaxy communication. Two years of fighting off the press and the remnants of the Galra that didn't surrender. Two years of them all catching up on schoolwork while all of this was happening.

And finally a year of intense existential crises as they all realized that the universe didn't need Voltron anymore. Sure, it needed Voltron, but it didn't _need_ Voltron _._ It needed ambassadors and a lion or two for the occasional skirmish by the next wannabe Zarkon, but already she couldn't remember the last time they formed the huge giant robot.

Everything's finally calmed down now, and for the first time in two years, they're going to have a proper Christmas.

“ _Katie!_ ”

Her hands jerk and papers spill from her hands, sounding oddly like water splattering at they hit the ground.

“Whoa, don't look!” she yelps, slamming down her laptop as Matt looks on, smothering his mouth. The corners of his eyes are crinkling up.

“I've been yelling for like five minutes now,” he says, “should I have called for 'Pidge' instead?”

Pidge, Katie, the Green Paladin – it's all just mixed and blended in her head by now.

“Yeah, you probably should've,” she admits, pushing her bangs out of her face. “What's up?”

“Shiro recruited Lance to help him decorate his place for out late night party and...”

She immediately lets out a breath through clenched teeth.

“So, y'know... Lance is practically brimming with Christmas spirit-”

“-And Shiro is our resident overachiever,” she finishes. Horror slowly creeps up her spine.

“Oh _god_ no.”

Matt nods grimly.

“I'm about to drive over and stop them. You got any good ideas?”

Hunk's present stuck at the Garrison's inter-galactic customs drifts through her mind.

“I think I've got the perfect thing.”

“Then let's go!”

 

It's the dumbest thing ever, but she still doesn't have her license yet. So as Matt rolls through the streets, all she can do is stare out the window, watching the people panic during last minute Christmas shopping as alien tourists marvel in shock at the variety of humans in existence.

She pilots a giant robotic lion for god's sake, and she even has a doctorate on the side in the progress on how to merge programming between alien coding and human coding. It's been a bit of a hassle trying to find a way to force hardware and C++ and 'Blekmivylle' to be compatible, but she thinks she's done it, and she still doesn't have a drivers license of all things.

“You know, some of my coworkers _still_ get all surprised whenever I can read the words at some of those alien restaurants. Hell, I had to convince them that that stuff can taste pretty amazing,” Matt says as he turns the wheel to the right.

“You don't say,” Katie says, “I had to learn a bunch of alien writing for my research, but you're still more fluent. Anyways, how much do you wanna bet that Shiro's apartment is a winter wonderland right now?” she tempts.

“C'mon! That's not a fair bet at all!”

They eventually park near Shiro's apartment complex. At first they both come out to stand ominously in front of the building. Katie knows where it is – after all she and the others would crash at Shiro's place sometimes for late night cramming for the test tomorrow after a day of hyperspace traveling and fighting.

“Actually, Matt, you should go back and help mom and dad with everything.”

“You sure, Katie?”

She nods and flashes a thumbs up.

“I'm totally sure.”

To be honest, it's because her plan to make them stop while also picking up Hunk's stuff from customs is a bit... against the rules.

“Alright then,” Matt sighs, getting back into the car. “Good luck, sis.”

“Yeah! See ya later!”

Matt's car drives away, and she stands under the snow for a moment. Her multi-tool is hidden under her jacket, she's got wool-lined leggings under her skirt, and her favorite boots on. Plus she's about to meet up with Shiro and Lance. All is right with the world.

The wait up the elevator and her steady steps over some of the icy walkways remind her of last year, when they were all huddled up in Shiro's apartment furiously studying for finals while Shiro was in the kitchen trying to find that tin of cocoa he said he _knew_ was there. Already, the door is a bad sign. It's covered in tacky decorations with a battery powered inflatable snowman damn near blocking the whole entryway. Inside she can hear an old man crooning about the coming of Christmas, and the music blasts through the door.

This is so bad.

She rings the door bell, and when there's no response, she starts pounding on the door.

“Heeeeey! It's Pidge! Open up guys!”

The music stops, and Shiro opens the door, beaming.

“Pidge, wasn't expecting you!”

Lance comes stumbling into view, covered in tinsel and streamers.

“Holy shit, did ya come to help out, Pidge?”

Pidge peeks in, and just cringes.

“Just asking, but how the hell did you manage to put off Christmas with your _family_ Lance? I mean... They're in Cuba.”

“Uhhh...”

“Oh my god,” she squeezes out, snickering. He chuckles nervously, furrowing his brows. The action makes the scars over his face bend and twist, and Pidge is ultra-surprised as well, since Lance adores his family.

“Anyways, I'll help you guys take some of the stuff down later-”

“'Take it down'?!” Shiro and Lance yelp.

“I need a ride,” she asks.

“Pidge, what about Matt?” Shiro sighs.

Lance looks oddly excited, and he shrugs with a smile.

“Ohhhhh, I bet it's for something you can't ask Matt for.”

“Hunk's gift is stuck at customs.”

Shiro expression turns slightly pained, and he runs a hand through his hair and over the second white streak splashed over his grown out undercut.

“Pidge, my security clearance only can only get us onto the facility, and stuff in customs is locked in their own individual boxes in the mail room.”

Lance laughs and starts pulling the glittering streamers off of him.

“Like that'll stop Pidge,” he hums.

“Of course,” she proclaims, puffing out her chest. The two of them turn towards Shiro, much to his chagrin. He sighs, then breaks out a weak smile.

“It's for Hunk, right? I'll go grab my keys,” he says,

“Pidge, did you modify your multi-tool again?” Lance asks.

“Yep. Changed the cables into something sturdier too.”

She pulls out one of the USB cables and hands it over to Lance, while Shiro disappears into fake snow a foot deep and pushes through artificial pine trees.

“Just wondering, what'd you get for Hunk?” Lance asks, rolling the Kevlar covered cable under his fingers.

“An alien soldering iron.”

“Wasn't that expensive?”

“I got a 'Defenders of the Universe' discount.”

“Nice.”

“Sooo... What'd you get Keith?” Pidge says with a smirk.

Lance's hands fumble, and he drops the cable.

“Well... A knife. A really, _really_ nice knife,” he answers, inwardly groaning as he remembers the price. “Why'd you ask?”

“'Cause we're all still wondering when you guys are gonna get together.”

“I told Hunk and this is what happens, huh?” he complains. It's amazing to see how a few years of life or death action mellows out a person. “Still-” he glances to the back “-he likes Shiro. A lot. Sucks, but it's fine.”

Inwardly Pidge wants to burst out laughing.

 

_“And why are you telling me this?”_

_Keith paused to hold the back of his neck, grasping for the right words._

_“Shiro would tell me to confess, and Hunk tells everyone.”_

_“You won't confess?”_

_“I'm sure he still hates me a bit, plus he and Hunk are super close.”_

_“You gotta be shitting me. They're just besties, and we're talking like... five years ago at this point? Huh? Holy shit. You're scared.”_

_The man grits his teeth in embarrassment at being found out._

_“Uhhhh...”_

_“Your_ twenty-three year old ass _is asking a_ nineteen year old _for advice because you're too chicken. Holy fuck Keith – Just ask him out! At the Christmas party!”_

_“That's in two weeks!”_

_“You know I'm right!”_

_Keith gives in with surprisingly little fluster._

_“...Fine. At the Christmas party.”_

_“Plus you better be grateful that there won't be any booze there because of me.”_

_“Why?!”_

_“Because then Lance won't think it was your drunk-ass drunk-confessing.”_

_“Fuck, fuuuuuuck you're right.”_

 

At this point, Pidge can't wait for this party.

“Oh, Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“You can stay behind and take some stuff down while Shiro drives me there.”

“Why?”

“'Cause being around Shiro makes everything ultra over-the-top.”

“You mean like the time he helped Keith out with maintenance on his hovercraft, and they ended up accidentally having to get a patent for how they maxed out the engine's efficiency? Listen, that's totally not gonna happen. Sure we haven't stopped moving at all for the past four hours, I can't remember the last time I ate or drank anything-”

“Lance just turn around and look.”

“...Oh my god.”

Shiro appears just in time, holding up the keys.

“Alright, let's go.”

“Lance is staying behind to take care of the decorations,” Pidge cuts in.

“He is? Thanks, that'll save some time. Let's go Pidge.”

“Sure!”

As they walk away, she glances over her shoulder to shoot Lance a sympathetic look. He tries to keep up the smile, but ultimately grimaces at the winterland carnage behind him.

 

They drive past some of the same scenery, and just to play along, Pidge rests her head against the window like before.

“Sooo, why else did you dump Lance behind?” Shiro asks, glancing over his shoulder as he changes lanes.

Damn, Shiro's _still_ too perceptive about stuff like this.

“I haven't gotten Lance anything.”

“Ouch. On that day of the party?”

“Yep.”

“I guess it is tough shopping for him.”

“Yeah. He's not as dumb as before, and he feels almost normal sometimes, but then he does or says something and you realize he's not normal at all.”

“A bit harsh, but for now I guess that's acceptable.”

“We've got twenty minutes. That should be enough for a genius and a star pilot to think of something, right?”

“I'd hope so.”

Seven minutes in and they still sit there, silently.

“Booze?”

“He doesn't like drinking and I'm not going to help you buy alcohol. Even as a gift.”

“But when we were at his place last summer because your AC broke, I found half a bottle of rum in the kitchen.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep, with my own two eyes.”

“...Jesus,” Shiro mutters, incredulously. “No booze though.”

“Fine,” Pidge answers, holding her chin. Suddenly, she snaps up and flashes a toothy grin at Shiro.

“I got it! Can we stop by the bookstore and a crafts store?”

“Sure, though, Lance might get suspicious at how long we're taking.”

“He's too busy dealing with the decor to worry about us.”

“You've got this all thought out, huh?”

“Yup!”

“We can go after you get Hunk's stuff.”

“Cool, thanks Shiro!”

The car parks a healthy two hundred yards away from the Garrison building, and Shiro starts fishing through his key ring for his access chip.

“Here, lemme give you this-”

“No need,” Pidge says, wiggling her multi-tool in front of Shiro.

“Okay then, go for it.”

“Yeah, I'll be back soon.”

“See ya.”

Pidge waves and gets out of the car and starts briskly walking towards the compound. She's been there before, to pick up things for her research. The difference is that this time, her visit hasn't been scheduled. Luckily the magic of Christmas means that the place is closed and has a skeleton staff on top of that. As she walks towards it, she takes out her phone and starts checking in on the cameras at the front door. The back door in the system still hasn't been fixed, and she fiddles with the program that she has disguised on her phone as an app. As she nears the door she picks the specific rooms she has in mind and executes it. From there, the entrance cameras and all cameras leading up to and in the mail room start replaying footage from the past fifteen minutes, while the time stamp continues to run separately, fooled into thinking this replayed footage is live. The problem with high tech cameras is that once you're in, you can do quite a lot. Then again, there's not much out there that can really stop her. When you start getting used to using alien tech and figuring out programming languages and writing through context and by virtue of similar syntax being developed even light years apart, you just start getting really, really good at hacking and the like.

She thought she was good even before she ever got involved with Voltron.

Now she _knows_ she's good.

The entrance takes an electronic key, but she already has a corresponding cable and end on her multi-tool that works perfectly. For all of the Garrison's fluster and bluster, they still use commercially available locks that they encode themselves for added strength. The door picks up a physical key, as well as the frequency for Shiro's key, so it chirps and unlocks. By the time she's out, all records of Shiro's key having been used will also be wiped from the system. Pidge strolls through the lobby, and she knows that her code should be working beautifully, but she still pulls up her hood and covers her face with her scarf. Her heart beats quickly in her chest, and she savors the adrenaline rush that seems to have been missing from her life lately.

She flashes Shiro's RFID frequency at a scanner and pushes open the glass door to the mail room, revealing all sorts of vials and packages and containers neatly stored to the side for examinations, but ignores them. Her attention's focused on the wall of steel lockers in the back, stacked from floor to ceiling. Hunk's thing should be in box A936, and she grabs a sliding ladder as she strolls over without a care, the wheels rattling as they slide on a metal frame. Right at second to last column of lockers on the left, she locks the ladder in place, then climbs to the top, where she plugs in one of three codes that they always rotate for all the lockers. A careless post-it is all it takes sometimes.

“Oh, lucky!” she mutters, as her first try pops the door open. Inside it is Hunk's package, all neatly wrapped in what's probably the alien equivalent of biodegradable bubble wrap. She slams the door shut with a satisfactory _bang!_ All that's left is to put everything back in it's original place, and erase the records for Hunk's present.

Excellent work for only fifteen minutes, she thinks, as she strides back to the car, rapping on the windows with her knuckles to show off her prize. Shiro gives her a thumbs up and unlocks the door.

“After we get Lance's stuff I'll drop you off at your house.”

“All cool with me.”

The trip to get Lance's present is blessedly smooth, and Pidge starts looking through the adult coloring books, glancing at the selections.

“Oh, that's perfect,” Shiro says, looking at the different themes for each one.

“The water-themed one, definitely,” she says, plucking it off the shelf. “Alright! Time to get a ton of colored pencils!”

 

Shiro drops her off at her home, a plastic bag with a tin set of colored pencils, and the book in another one.

“Oh, Allura contacted me. She's really busy, but she'll probably be able to celebrate with us for about an hour.”

“Really?! Man, sucks that Coran is still stuck doing all that logistical stuff.”

“It is, but it still looks like he's really enjoying life in his messages,” Shiro answers, laughing. “I'll go back and help out Lance. See you later.”

“Yes! See ya!”

Shiro drives off, leaving Katie to plod back inside. She pushes open the door, and as she smells the food cooking and her family chattering, she giggles happily to herself.

“I'm baaaack!”

 

Cheers erupt as everyone slams together mugs of hot cocoa. In Allura's case, the mug literally shatters on impact, and so do Pidge's and Shiro's. Lance, Hunk, and Keith all stare in slight horror.

“Oh, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!” Allura exclaims, her fingers still hooked through the lonely handle of her mug.

“Don't worry, the floors are wood – we can clean this up, no problem!” Shiro says, immediately going to go get paper towels and a broom and dust pan.

“I'll help,” Keith says, following.

“Thanks.”

Pidge glances over at Lance, and she can see his shocked face show a flash of pain as he starts laughing. To her right, she catches Allura also looking. Their gazes meet, and they both barely nod in understanding, laughing a bit at how lovestruck Lance is.

“That's kinda impressive!” Lance exclaims, examining his own mug, which has somehow escaped destruction. “The cups are kinda thick, but you smashed them like it was nothing!”

“W-well, I have to admit I didn't expect these to be so fragile. What exactly is this material called?”

“Porcelain,” Hunk answers, “Sort of like clay, which is this specific kind of sand that hardens when you add water, mold it, then bake it.”

“Interesting – we know what pottery and earthenware are, but I've never seen it so brightly colored or polished,” Allura says. She runs a thumb against its smooth surface.

“That's strange,” Pidge says, carefully pushing the pieces into a small pile. “You'd think with how advanced alien technology is that they would've discovered glazed pottery.”

“Perhaps it's because we shifted to metallurgy faster than humans?”

“Maybe.”

“But guys, you'd really think pottery ware would just die out?” Hunk asks.

The three start to discuss parallels in human and Altean civilization when Shiro and Keith reappear, thoroughly confused. They immediately look to Lance, who just shrugs and clears his throat.

“Guys, the clean up crew's here, and if you haven't noticed, you're going to get hot chocolate on your slippers and socks, or maybe get stabbed in the feet with mug pieces.”

Everyone shuffles back, and when Shiro's done sweeping up the broken pieces, the others immediately get to work drying off the cocoa and rubbing it down with cleaning wipes to get rid of the sugar.

“Well then,” Allura says, beaming brightly as soon as they all finally settle down onto the couch or random cushions, “so far the Universal Alliance has been going rather well, especially since many of the planets we formerly helped so quickly agreed to join!”

“Really? Wait, that means you met the Balmerans too! How's Shay?” Hunk asks from his spot, eagerly leaning in.

“Amazingly well! She wanted me to say hello to you for her too, and she was also curious about how you were doing!”

“That's good! Tell her I'm doing great, and it'd be nice to see her again soon.”

Hunk's shoulders loosen, and it looks like he'd melt into the floor if he could.

“I haven't been able to hear much about everyone else though,” she says, shooting a few choice looks at some of them, Pidge included.

“W-well, I mean, me and Shiro are both Garrison pilots, so not much on that front,” Lance says, shying away guiltily from Allura's killer stare.

“It's been pretty busy, since we're literally ferrying people to and from different galaxies, and even with new alien technology, the trips still take time,” Shiro adds.

“Vacation time's also hard to get,” Lance grumbles, and both him and Shiro sigh deeply. “Though how's piloting commercially going?” he suddenly asks, leaning over Hunk and snickering at Keith. “The tourists must be terrible to deal with.”

Keith doesn't seem that miffed, and shoots back a snide smile of his own.

“I dunno, piloting for the private sector's been pretty damn good. My bosses actually don't treat me like shit, I get to go to alllll the cool places, and I'm on my vacation time right now.”

Keith's eyes narrow, and he straightens his back, so that he can at least smile at Lance from above when he delivers his wham line.

“ _Paid_ vacation time _._ ”

Lance's jaw drops, and it's at this moment that Shiro suddenly remembers that Lance doesn't have enough seniority to get paid vacation time. Keith watches at Lance's small scars stretch over his dark skin as he gapes at Keith in disbelief.

“Awww you gotta be kidding me!” Lance wails, flinging himself back with an arched back with all the dramatic flair he can muster. “Wait.”

He squishes Hunk's lap to whisper something to Keith with all the seriousness that he can muster, all as the others try not laugh as Keith's blush flares up, then dies as fast as it came. Pidge nearly bursts out into laughs as Allura presses a finger over her lips, even though she looks like she's on the verge of laughing as well. Lance settles back into his seat, and crosses his arms.

“Well?!”

“Uh... Yeah.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, uh... I make more. Actually... A lot more.”

“Oh, come ooooon!” Lance gripes, as Hunk pats his friend's back in sympathy.

“C'mon, the pension should make up for it, right?”

“When I _retire_!”

“Though it's not like our paychecks are that bad, right Lance?” Shiro says with a laugh. “Let's see... I've got about thirty more years to save up, and you've got forty – that's pretty good! Though I won't argue that they might by undercutting you just a tiiiiny bit.”

“Well,” Pidge cuts in, “my doctorates are going pretty well, but I think I might have to wait a bit longer before I can receive fund for the thesis I really wanna work on,” she tells Allura. “What about you, Hunk?”

“If everything goes well, Lance should be test-driving one of my prototypes by next winter!”

“Wait, really?!”

“Yeah!”  
The seven of them start eagerly discussing the specs and the modifications Hunk has made, when Allura accidentally knocks her bag over, spilling out a variety of packages

“Oh, I completely forgot! This celebration has a tradition of gift-giving, correct?” she says. “Well, I've brought stuff!”

Allura starts off a chain of gift-giving by them all, and when it comes to Lance's coloring book, he laughs, but looks at everything warmly.

“If you're trying to call me immature...” he trails off jokingly.

“You are though.”

“Shut up Keith.”

Allura leans back and laughs with them all, and finally she sighs and props her head in a hand.

“To think that the day's finally come when we can all sit here together and exchange gifts like this,” she says, her eyes looking over them, yet feeling oddly distant at the same time.

“Those years were painful, but we're all here, huh?”

Her words put them all at pause, like a cut of silence suddenly descending over them all.

A device at her waist flashes, and the pause if broken. For a moment Pidge is a bit startled, half expecting to see the gems at Allura's ears flash. But they aren't on the Castle anymore, and Allura's earrings won't work for her current situation. In fact, right now she's wearing the earrings that Katie got her: Thin bars of uneven and raw aquamarine dangling from gold hooks.

“Sorry, I have to go. You remember that nearby galaxy I mentioned?” she says to Shiro.

“The one that was almost at Altean levels of technology? Are they stirring up any trouble?”

At his words, the others straighten up, ready as ever to serve their princess. Allura brightens up and shakes her head.

“No, nothing that serious. It's just that they have a suspicion that their civilization might have been founded by Altean survivors, and it's stirring up a sort of resistance movement against the alliance on parts of the planet.”

Hunk cringes and scoots in a bit.

“Uh, no. That sounds pretty serious,” he says, and Shiro nods in agreement.

“We know you're tough Allura, but parts of a planet sound like a little too much, even for you.”

She smiles and pulls out the hairpin keeping up her bun, letting it cascade down past her shoulders.

“No worries. They're looking for an Altean – not one of their own.”

“Alright then. Be safe, Allura.”

“Thank you, Shiro.”

She smiles warmly at him, and for a moment, Katie wonders if there's something else the rest of them have overlooked during these years, besides just Keith and Lance's bickering.

“Goodbye everyone. I apologize for leaving so early, but please, enjoy and relax for tonight!”

“You too, Allura!”

“See ya later.”

“We'll bust you out if we have too!”

“Have a safe trip!”

Minutes after she leaves the apartment, the loud sound of wind being cut by blades invades the entire area, and the darkness outside is temporarily illuminated as the large hovercraft's huge strobe lights flash through the area and up into the sky.

“See you later,” Shiro says, almost wistfully, a smile on the edge of his lips.

 

The conversation devolves into random small talk as Pidge keeps shooting a few glances at Keith, who seems permanently stuck between Hunk and Shiro, while somehow staying in a conversation between all five of them. Then, like water suddenly stilling after a storm, something solemn seems to come over Lance. He abruptly quiets down, then scoots around to rest his back on Hunk.

“Hey, guys? Is it just me, but... Doesn't everyone miss forming Voltron?” he asks, staring blankly at the golden Christmas lights strung about the room.

Like that, the conversation fizzles out for the second time within the hour.

Shiro breaks the tension first.

“I do,” Shiro says. “I understand that we should value peace while it lasts, but there's something undeniable about Voltron.”

He smiles and nibbles the edge of the cinnamon stick in his cider, not even flinching despite how strong it must taste.

“We really are as one when we form Voltron, aren't we?”

The others look at him in wonder, when Keith decides to speak up.

“It's too late to separate ourselves from Voltron. It's part of our identity, and I hate that I feel like we have to pilot our Lions to feel completely whole,” he says, his voice tinged with a sharp bitterness that seeps out into his contemptuous smile.

“Nothing wrong with that though, right?”

Lance's eyes are still closed, and he seems to be simply existing in this current calmness of his, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

“We piloted Voltron and our Lions for what was probably the craziest, most intense years of our life. If it didn't become part of who we are, _especially_ our Lions, then I think that'd probably be really weird.”

His eyelids finally lift, and he peers over his knees at Keith.

“So what if Voltron both creates and fills some kind of fucked up hole in us? I just miss Blue and I miss forming Voltron. I'm still a Paladin for god's sake, and I sure as hell won't give up that title without a fight.”

Keith glares back stubbornly, then slumps back into the couch.

“Same here,” he mutters through clenched teeth.

“Sometimes I can't even remember the last time we formed Voltron,” Hunk finally sighs. The others all agree in a chorus of groans or utterances. The entire time Pidge watches them all, and an idea starts forming in her mind.

“So why don't we?”

The others stare at her, trying to process what they're hearing.

“Uh, Pidge?” Hunk says, a worried look on his face, “Our Lions and Bayards are all being stored in a Garrison facility hours away under heavy guard, and only to be used when necessary, so that world powers don't panic.”

She leaps to her feet, hurling her cushion away as she feels a huge smile cracking her face in half.

“It's totally possible! I go home and grab my multi-tool while Lance gets his lock picks so that we can get in, but we can all use that cloth you've been fiddling with on the side by miniaturizing my cloaking tech to avoid the cameras! Shiro's the one with the best car, so he can totally drive us there too – hell, what's stopping us from taking Voltron for a joyride?! We're the Defenders of the Universe! What's the worst they could do, huh?”

Hunk blinks a few times at her, before both of their eyes grow serious, and he nods in agreement.

“You know what? Let's do it!”

Lance and Keith are both silent, but the excitement on their faces is unmistakeable; they both look like they're dumb eighteen-year olds out to save the world again.

“Yes yes yes!” Lance screeches, jumping up and down.

Shiro snaps straight back into action, and Pidge swears it's the most energetic she's seen the man in, well, years.

“Everyone go and get ready. I'll go fill my car's tank and also grab more gas for the trip. Hunk, get your cloaking device ready. Lance, get your lock picks, plus snacks and water, since the drive's a couple hours. Keith, give Pidge a lift home so that she can get everything she needs.”

“Yessir!” they all yell, before scattering.

They all nearly break their necks on the stairs, and Pidge looks towards Keith, breathing out white clouds as they hop onto his hovercraft.

“Keith!” she yells over the roar of the engines, “We can stop by your place too!”

“It's fine!”

He waves the military-grade ceramic karambit Lance got him, before sticking it back into his pocket and gunning it. She swears there's a giddiness to his smile that's from more than this stunt they're about to pull, and she snickers as holds on.

“You still haven't confessed!”

“I-I will! I will!”

“When?!”

“When it's right!”

“So like, alone time?”

“Y-yeah!”

Pidge bursts into laughter, swinging her legs up into the air and leaning back so far that it's almost dangerous.

“How romantic do you think it'd be?! Confessing after a joyride in a mecha?!”

“Enough to make him never, ever shut up!”

“Hah!”

 

Keith stops a good ways from Katie's home, so that the noise won't alert them. Quietly, she creep inside and up the stairs, freezing at that _one stair_ that always creaks, but she holds her breath, stays still, then tiptoes into her room. She's already in comfortable clothes, and she picks up her multi-tool-

“Katherine Holt, what are doing here right now? Weren't you going to spend the night at Shiro's for his Christmas party with your friends?”

Katie spins around, hiding her things behind her back.

“Uh, I forgot something, so Keith offered to give me a ride back, since the hovercraft is super fast, but he also didn't want to bother you guys, so he's waiting further back.”

It's pretty obvious that her mom doesn't buy a single word of it, but at the same time, she feels like this is first time that she's seen her daughter so vibrant in two years. For two years she's seen her slaving away over work and sorting out universal issues no child should have to deal with, but it was like a flicker of life suddenly flowed into her for this party, and now she genuinely looks like the daughter she was before _all_ of this began – even Kereboros.

To Katie's shock, her mom sighs, smiles, then turns around.

“Even if you guys adore each other, sleep is still important, alright? Take care our yourselves.”

She wraps her shawl tighter around her shoulders and disappears around the corner. Meanwhile Katie's pretty sure she's just witnessed a Christmas miracle, so the moment she hears the bedroom door close, she books it outside, locks the door, and sprints over to Keith.

“I got it!”

“Alright, we're off!”

By the time they're back, Shiro already has the car out and ready for them, his jacket snugly zipped up. Pidge darts for shotgun, and she gestures between Lance and Keith to Hunk, who immediately grabs the far right seat.

“Yo! Snack guy should go in the middle!” he yells at Lance.

“Fine!” the man calls back, squeezing into the center seat with his bags, forcing Keith to take the far left, squeezed against Lance.

“Lance, you brought your lock picks, right?”

“Yep!”

Shiro sets off, and Pidge can't help but let out a triumphant yell.

“Yes, road trip!”

“Oh gosh, guys, where should we go? We get to pilot Voltron for _fun, wherever we want,_ ” Hunk yells, shoving Lance and a shoulder straight into Keith's gut.

“Ow...”

“Sorry, sorry – wanna chip?”

“...sour cream and onion.”

“Here ya go,” Lance says, plucking out the right potato chip that Keith chomps onto.

“Dunno about you guys,” Keith says, licking the crumbs off his mouth, “but lets go somewhere a bit lively.”

“You all are dumb if we don't go to the ocean at _least_ once,” Lance cuts in, shoving some chips into his own mouth.

“I've always wanted to go to a night market!” Hunk pipes up.

“A night market huh? That doesn't sound too bad!” Shiro yells over them all.

“Where're we gonna park Voltron though?” Keith asks.

“And we also need to go to a bank to exchange for some cash,” Pidge notes. “We all brought our wallets, right?”

“Uh, guys? Ocean?”

“We can totally stop by, but it'll probably be cooler at sunrise or something,” Hunk argues.

“Can't argue with that. And also, we can totally just park Voltron in a parking lot or something.”

“Are you serious?!” Keith yells.

“Think about it! Standing, I bet Voltron's feet take up like, four spots, tops, and people can totally park between our legs! Also if we're gonna be taking a giant robot on a joyride, we might as well just say 'fuck it', and go all the way.”

“We'll wreck the asphalt!” Hunk pleads.

“So we split the bill like five ways – seven if Allura and Coran pitch in.”

“You mean after she kills us first,” Pidge snickers.

“Hey you started this!”

“And I'm gonna be loving every moment of it.”

“So where are we gonna park _this_ car?” Shiro asks.

Lance and Keith all go silent, while Hunk stares a bit at the vehicle he's currently in.

“We tag it on the GPS and go find it again in the middle of the desert when we get back.”

“Thank you, Pidge.”

“Anytime.”

 

By the time they finagle themselves past fences, guards, doors, and high tech locks, they're all exhausted, but Hunk flashes on the blinding lights, and it's like all their tiredness melts away. Lance runs screaming for the Blue Lion, and Pidge swears she sees tears as he starts climbing on his Lion like it's a jungle gym, patting its head and squishing his face into the metal.

“I missed you so much Blue!”

Pidge looks up, and in the far corner, she sees the Green Lion, bright and glowing, the shield on its back weathered after even all the restoration she did on it after they defeated Zarkon. Hesitantly, she takes a step forward. Then another. Her feet can't seem to walk normally, and it's because before she knows it she's sprinting for her Lion, her hair streaming behind her, eyes shining as her palms slam into it's snout and she laughs and laughs. Near the front, Shiro stares at his Lion, standing tall and strong in front of it, before he respectfully presses his hand to it.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long,” he says, smiling as he feels that second consciousness in his mind flare up again.

“Alright everyone! Prepare for launch!”

They totally don't need to change into their Paladin gear, but honestly if they've come this far, then damned be them if they don't wear their gear as well for the ultimate nostalgia trip. They all have their Bayards and they pile into their Lions without a second thought after setting the hangar ceiling to automatically open and close. The vaulted ceilings slowly roll open, revealing a sky just starting to turn pink with dawn, and their bodies tense up as they wait for Shiro. Stars are still faintly visible in the sky, and who knows, maybe one of them is the galaxy that Allura's at right now.

“Everyone,” Shiro announces, his voice oddly soft. He's just as aware as the rest of them that it might be a long time, if not the only time, that they can do something so wildly reckless and fun. It might not be the last time they pilot Voltron, but it sure as hell might be the first and last time they take the Defender of the Universe for a joyride. They aren't getting any younger. Especially not him.

He laughs, then clears his throat.

“Everyone! Form Voltron!” he yells, strong and sturdy and from the diaphragm, the voice ringing throughout their comms.

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah!”  
“Yeah!”

And as if like they had just been fighting Galran forces the day before, their Lions soar through the air, streams of bright colored light dragging behind them as they merge together into the Defender of the Universe. Voltron momentarily appears frozen in time, before blinking like a star and hurtling through into the stratosphere like a blade of light cutting straight up through the rising sun.

 

“This is gonna be so awesome! Let's go, let's go!” Hunk cheers.

“So first, we park. Then we find a bank to exchange money at. We go eat and shop our hearts out at the night market, and finally we go to the ocean to watch the sunrise,” Shiro says, outlining their entire itinerary.

“Sounds solid,” Keith laughs, watching clouds and the atmosphere zip underneath them in a blur.

“Let's do this!” Lance shrieks. Keith brightens at the sound of that voice, like that of the original person he fell in love with almost five years ago. They plunge down through the clouds, then twist like dolphins, shooting back up like an arrow.

“I bet I can eat more than you!”

“Hah! We'll see about that!”

“Seriously?! You still think your skinny ass can eat more?”

“You'll believe it when you see it!”

Pidge at that moment switches to a private line with Shiro and Hunk. Faint roars echo from outside, as they each increase speed, and air bursts in front of them as they break the sound barrier with a _bang!_

“We're gonna ditch these two to be alone when we're in the night market. Who's with me?”

“I second that notion,” Shiro says, still hearing them playfully bicker.

“It took Keith three years to realize that he was in love. What makes you think he'll confess tonight?” Hunk asks.

“'Cause I convinced him to.”

“Oh? Good work, Pidge.”

“Thank you, Shiro.”

Next thing they know, Keith's even swinging his sword and cutting clouds into pieces for fun, while Hunk blasts into wisps with the arm cannon. They pull all sorts of crazy stunts, dipping down and up through different atmospheric layers, at one point even hurtling down to kick snow off a mountain peak. Pidge is pretty sure they might've kicked off more than just some snow, but the mountain still looks fine, so it's alright!

 

There's surprisingly a lot less screaming than Pidge expects when they suddenly park their giant mecha in a poor parking lot, the weight crushing the black asphalt underneath them. They leave their helmets inside their Lions and rush to a bank doing exchanges, all while obviously wearing alien tech from head to toe, but the clerks are surprisingly very polite and take the whole thing in stride. One of them even asks for a selfie with all of them, and they struggle to pose with the lady at her teller's desk, laughing the whole time. There's actually snow here, but the lights are still bright at the market, and full of warmth as they plunge into the fray, glad that they're no longer at the forefront of news and media anymore. Two years does that, and humans always move on. Enough that even all five Paladins in actual armor can freely run around buying and eating food at a foreign night market halfway across the world.

“Alright then – let's go!” Shiro cheers, and literally vanishes into the crowds with Pidge and Hunk, leaving Lance and Keith dumbstruck and alone. It takes Keith less than five seconds for it all to kick in.

“Damn you Pidge!”

“Hm? Say something? You look pissed.”

Lance leans in to peer at Keith, and he sucks in a deep breath as he sees how Lance's eyes look almost inky black in this dimness.

“N-no! Well, yes! It's just that, they ditched us y'know! Who knows when we might be able to hang out like this ever again!” he lies on the spot. It's nice to know that that skill of his isn't that rusty from lack of use. Lance frowns, but he completely buys into it.

“I guess it does suck, but who knows? Hunk's super excited, so maybe he accidentally dragged them away without meaning to.”

“I guess.”

“So!” Lance yells, clapping his hands together. “Now that we're actually here, and this food looks suuuper amazing, I kinda wanna savor it all! New competition! Let's see if we can eat one thing from every flavor! Spicy, salty, bitter, sweet, and umami if you're being fancy!”

People are beginning to stare at them, but Keith smiles and raises up his fist.

“Sounds fun!”

“Right?!”

They bump fists, then plunge into the crowds themselves.

It's a flurry of all sorts of different foods, from hot, bitter drinks to an entire cutlet of fried meat wrapped in paper. At some point, they stop trying to play their own game, and they literally start getting everything that even catches a bit of their attention. They pass by a butcher's stall, and Lance catches a glimpse of the roasted animals hanging from hooks. He bites through his skewer, snapping the stick in half.

“Lance?”

“Sorry, but I'm feeling a bit squeamish,” he answers through a sheepish smile, finishing the rest of the meat of the skewer before tossing it into a nearby trash can.

“Let's go.”

“...Sure.”

Keith starts to trail behind Lance, as there's a renewed fervor in the man's steps. Lance plunges on ahead, randomly pointing out things that he wants to try. Keith merely nods and agrees, until right in the middle of sipping a drink, Lance screeches to a halt.

“Hey, why aren't you telling me to shut up? Even I can tell I'm being dumb right now.”

Keith shrugs and steps in towards Lance.

“Dunno. You're the perceptive one out of us, but even I can tell that you're freaking out.”

Lance pauses, then tilts his head and smiles thinly at Keith. Even in the loud market, he talks at just the right volume, so that his voice cuts through without drawing attention.

“I just saw the butcher stall and... remembered some stuff.”

Keith's eyes widen, and he places a hand over Lance's eyes. The man softly sighs.

“You still see them all, don't you?”

“It's better now, no worries.”

“...You really are strong.”

Lance laughs and pushes down Keith's hand.

“Not that strong!”

“No. You are. At the same time I guess that's why we all get worried.”

“Hm? You might be better off saving that for Shiro.”

“That won't work.”

“Why?”

“Because I like you.”

Lance's jaw drops, and he stares at Keith, eyes shining in disbelief. He rubs his face and stares at his feet with a gasp.

“That's so embarrassing.”

“Huh?!”  
“The only reason you got to confess so smoothly is because I freaked out!”

“For god's sake-!”

“Re-do! I wanna a redo!” Lance suddenly snaps, his face bright red. He marches five steps ahead, then spins on the sole of his foot and glares at Keith.

“Again!”

“What the fuck?!”

“Again!”

Keith groans then marches straight up to Lance, pinches the other man's nose, then takes a deep breath.

“I! Like! You! Even though you're a fucking weirdo with a nice smile, pretty eyes, and a cool personality!”

Lance's reaction is less than stellar. All the food he's holding drops from his hands, and his face flushes with a deeper shade of red. He pushes away Keith's hand, and as he stumbles back, he bumps into multiple people, mumbling apologies in foreign languages that probably aren't the right ones.

“I'm, um... I'm gonna find the others,” he mumbles, then dashes off.

“You think you can out run me?!”

 

All three of their phones simultaneously chime or vibrate, and the three of them exchange thoughtful looks.

“Winner takes all, ten bucks that Keith's confessed, and that Lance is currently freaking out,” Pidge says, tearing out a chunk of her fried meat cutlet.

“Twenty that it's just a panicking mess from _both_ of them, but the confession was a success,” Shiro says, equally as determined.

“Fifteen that the confession's good, they kissed, and we're about to see the sappiest couple selfie on the planet,” Hunk bets, already opening up the messages.

“Wow~,” Pidge says, also opening up her messages, “ _someone_ looks awfully confident.”

“We've known them both for years, I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't – oh my god.”

Shiro's jaw drops, and the three of them stop in their tracks.

It's a selfie of Keith and Lance, faces pressed together to fit into the frame, both looking equally embarrassed and disheveled, but oddly calm. Below it are oddly deadpan messages from Keith and Lance.

 

[I confessed.]

[We kissed in public.]

 

“Lance is the type of guy who sorta just... runs away from awkward stuff like that. Literally. I bet Keith chased him down for awhile and by that time they were too tired to even freak out properly. Especially if Lance isn't lying,” Hunk says, before he turns his attention back to his friends.

He triumphantly stands in front of them, a hand extended.

“So. The money?”

 

As Voltron soars over the ocean, it kicks up a spray of droplets that sparkle in what little moonlight that remains, and Lance laughs and laughs, as if the water is feeding into his soul. He and Keith haven't actually been talking together, but the overall mood has still been of pleasant silence. They need time to process everything properly. Pidge glances down at her phone, and she whacks the comm button with her palm. What she doesn't mention is that Lance and Keith are going viral, her phone's been flooded with missed calls, and that they've all probably got an identical email in their in-boxes telling them to report in for questioning in roughly... six hours, to be exact.

“Guys! Sunrise in five minutes!”

“We should find the perfect place!” Hunk yells.

“Whaddya mean?! We're already in the perfect place! It's the middle of the ocean!” Lance cheers.

They all anxiously wait, and as they see the light peeking out, the five of them cheer and marvel at how the sun's rays scatter and reflect in the waves. Pidge laughs along with the rest of them, and she decides that if this is how this all ends, she doesn't regret it at all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> My headcanons I guess, in terms of how they might change over time.
> 
> Lance: some issues with PTSD, but still as lively as before, albeit with some more mood swings.  
> Hunk: very compassionate and kind as always, but bolder than before.  
> Pidge: confidence and ego both up, and also now a bit of an adrenaline junkie.  
> Keith: happier and less moody in general now, but streaks of it still show now and then.  
> Shiro: treats all the Paladins as adults and equals now versus as a leader (as expected), but also seems more tired; not as full of energy as before.
> 
> Oh well, merry Christmas everyone, and a happy new year!


End file.
